Best Battery Powered Guitar Amp: Top 15 Picks To Carry Your Sound With You!

All Stringed is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more


Hello guitar lovers, and welcome to my review of the most amazing battery-powered amps!

Lately, I have been testing many battery-powered amps to write a complete review of the most reliable ones so that you can choose the one for you.

I recommend you to be patient and don’t purchase the first you notice on the web. Please read first my reviews, and you will not be disappointed about your choice in the future.

So, let’s go without more delays to my review of battery-powered amps to carry your sound with you!

Click here to skip the quick overview and jump right to the in-depth reviews.

Quick Overview

Our Top 5 Choices For Battery Powered Guitar Amps

Boss Katana Mini
Overall Rating: 5/5
★★★★★

Boss Katana-Mini

The Boss Katana Mini has arrived from The Land of the Rising Sun ready for those that want a portable battery-powered amp that generates astonish tones. It is a super-cool battery-powered amp that delivers 7-watt of power, 3 Amp voicings, 3-band EQ, and a delay effect, all in a compact package.

Blackstar Fly 3
Overall Rating: 4.9/5
★★★★★

Blackstar Fly 3

The Blackstar Fly 3 is the perfect companion for those that want a compact and portable guitar amp that generates a powerful tone even at the lowest volumes. This 3-watt battery-powered amp has a clean and an overdrive channel, and a 3-inch speaker delivers true Blackstar tones.

Marshall MS-2 Micro Amp
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
★★★★★

Marshall MS-2

The Marshall MS-2 is the ideal battery-powered micro amp for taking in your guitar case. This mini Marshall has a surprisingly powerful volume despite being a 1-watt amp.

Vox Mini 3 G2
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
★★★★★

Vox Mini 3 G2

The Vox Mini3 G2 is the best choice for polish your sound and get a wide range of enhanced effects. The G2 is a fantastic portable modeling amplifier and the next-generation model of the Vox’s MINI3 series.

Orange Crush Mini
Overall Rating: 4.7/5
★★★★★

Orange Crush Mini

The Orange Crush Mini is the perfect option when you want the iconic Orange tone in a small, lightweight package. This 3-watt micro amp packs a big punch. The Crush Mini is an excellent companion for jamming with friends or practicing in your bedroom.


The 15 Best Battery Powered Guitar Amp Review

Click here to jump to our Top Picks.

#1. Boss Katana-Mini Review – Best Overall Battery Powered Guitar Amp

Boss Katana Mini

The Boss Katana Mini has arrived from The Land of the Rising Sun ready for those that want a portable battery-powered amp that generates astonish tones. It is a super-cool battery-powered amp that delivers 7-watt of power, 3 Amp voicings, 3-band EQ, and a delay effect, all in a compact package.

BOSS made the Katana tone accessible in a small, portable amp that runs on batteries. This mini amp delivers the following three voicing options:

  • The brown setting offers a high-gain tone perfect for metal leads.
  • The Crunch setting gives overdriven rhythm tones.
  • The Clean setting produces a bright, clean tone with a wide dynamic range.

This tinny combo amplifier delivers exceptional sound in a compact, portable package thanks to its analog gain circuit. It has received great reviews everywhere thanks to its great sounding.

The Katana is one of the best portable guitar amps ready for you right now. It is the ideal practice partner compared to the rest of the battery-powered guitar amps on the market.

You’ll love this:

  • You can enjoy expressive tones due to the Katana’s Brown setting inspired by BOSS’s flagship Waza amp.
  • The Katana-Mini will impress you with its great sound while you get impressive control over your tone.
  • The Katana was created for top-quality sound and produce a big, full tone that will encourage you to plug in and play for hours.
  • You get maximum sound quality, advanced hardware, refined circuitry, appropriate component selection, and a custom speaker.
  • You can shape your sound with the 3-band EQ that delivers great control, thanks to the bass, middle, and treble knobs.

You might not like this:

  • The Katana-Mini doesn’t come with a power adapter which has to be bought separately.

Conclusion

Get ready to enjoy this amazing portable amp. It is undoubtedly one of the best portable battery-powered guitar amps you can get. The Katana-Mini has an outstanding sound that exceeds other guitar amplifiers in its class.

You get great Katana tone in a highly portable amp that you can take wherever you want. It is a compact size and robust mini amp that weighs less than three pounds.


#2. Blackstar Fly 3 Review – Best Value for Money Battery Powered Guitar Amp

Blackstar Fly 3

The Blackstar Fly 3 is the perfect companion for those that want a compact and portable guitar amp that generates a powerful tone even at the lowest volumes. This 3-watt battery-powered amp has a clean and an overdrive channel, and a 3-inch speaker delivers true Blackstar tones.

You get a complete pack of helpful features such as tape delay effects to enhance your amp output during play. You also get an MP3 / LINE IN built-in jack to connect to your mobile device to jam along with your favorite tracks.

You can change the sound of your Fly thanks to the patented Infinite Shape Feature (ISF), which gives you endless possibilities on the tone of your amp.

It is an innovative and practical cutting-edge 3-watt amp that delivers true Blackstar tones. You can also connect your headphones to the Emulated Output jack.

You’ll love this:

  • Thanks to the patented Infinite Shape Feature and the onboard tape delay effect, this amp allows you to develop a distinctive sound.
  • This Blackstar amp is an amazing battery-powered amp that allows you to take it wherever you go as a set of portable speakers.
  • Despite being such a tiny amp, with the Fly 3 you get the best tones at low volume for home use and practice.
  • The Fly brings you a great set of features, such as the ISF, emulated headphone output, digital ‘tape’ delay effect, and MP3/line input.

You might not like this:

  • You can find the Fly’s tone to be a bit muffled and flat-sounding.

Conclusion

You only need to plug in your guitar and begin practicing. The Blackstar Fly 3 is a mighty two-channel guitar amp that delivers an innovative sonic performance due to its small size.

This traveling companion is an excellent practice amp for beginners. Its lightweight and compact design are perfect for taking it with you and jam with friends or in little gigs.


#3. Marshall MS-2 Review ‎ – Best Budget Battery Powered Guitar Amp

Marshall MS-2 Micro Amp

The Marshall MS-2 is the ideal battery-powered micro amp for taking in your guitar case. This mini Marshall has a surprisingly powerful volume despite being a 1-watt amp.

You will be surprised about how loud 1 watt can be when you try this micro stack amp. Besides that, you get a belt clip, tone control, clean and overdrive settings, and you can choose between battery or AC power with the optional adapter.

This mini combo amp is the perfect companion for weekend jams with friends. You will get a lot of fun and the original Marshall tone that fits in your pocket.

If you really like the Marshall sound, but you can’t purchase a full-sized stack, you can get that original Marshall tone with the Marshall MS-2 Micro Stack.

You’ll love this:

  • The Marshall MS-2 is causing a real sensation among worldwide guitar players because it delivers a valuable set of features at a modest cost.
  • The MS-2 produces amazing clean sounds and has an excellent tone range that delivers great sounding.
  • The overdrive channel delivers a crunch that captures the character of that Marshall vibe.
  • Despite its tinny size, the MS-2 can sound loud enough to bother your neighbors.

You might not like this:

  • The distortion of the Marshall MS-2 can sound a little boxy.

Conclusion

The MS-2 is undoubtedly one of the best battery-powered guitar amps. It has only 1 watt, but it is full of authentic Marshall tones. You can put a Marshall in your pocket, and you can choose to power it with a battery or with the optional AC power adapter.

This micro stack amp brings you many features such as clean and overdrive settings, volume and tone controls, headphone jack, and a belt clip that is very useful for gigging anywhere.


#4. Vox Mini 3 G2 Review

Vox Mini 3 G2

The Vox Mini3 G2 is the best choice for polish your sound and get a wide range of enhanced effects. The G2 is a fantastic portable modeling amplifier and the next-generation model of the Vox’s MINI3 series.

This 3-watt battery-powered amp brings a set of powerful features such as eight onboard effects, eleven authentic built-in amp models, VOX’s original Bassilator circuit to enhanced your tone, tuner, mic, and aux inputs.

You can play with the Vox Mini for up to ten hours with only six AA batteries, it also brings an AC adapter, and you get an onboard tuner too.

This portable modeling amplifier has a compact construction and brings you the modeling technology inherited from the Valvetronix series.

You’ll be well-equipped at home or on the go with the amazingly portable Vox Mini. The onboard 8 FX types add some impact to an already great design.

You’ll love this:

  • The Vox Mini3 G2 can be used with a variety of instruments, from electric guitars to keyboards.
  • You get an amazing modeling amp with up to eleven authentic built-in amp models based on Vox Valvetronix technology.
  • This 3-watt portable amp delivers a wide range of tones from crystal cleans to powerful overdrives.
  • VOX’s new Bassilator circuit brings you solid bass frequencies that can be heard even at low volumes.
  • You get a complete set of effects with up to eight FX types, including enhanced compressor, flanger, tremolo, chorus, delay, and reverb.

You might not like this:

  • The Vox Mini can suffer from a lack of natural cleans at higher volumes.

Conclusion

With the Vox Mini, you get one of the most equipped mini amps on the market at the moment. Eleven genuine built-in amp models, a great range of tones, the new Bassilator circuit that delivers a rich low end, and the set of amazing effects including compressor, chorus, flanger, tremolo, delay, and reverb.

You can use it with various instruments such as electric guitars, acoustic-electric guitars, and keyboards. It has dual power options so that you can experience up to 10 hours of portability with six AA batteries or use the included AC adaptor.


#5. Orange Crush Mini Review

Orange Crush Mini

The Orange Crush Mini is the perfect option when you want the iconic Orange tone in a small, lightweight package. This 3-watt micro amp packs a big punch. The Crush Mini is an excellent companion for jamming with friends or practicing in your bedroom.

The Crush Mini gives you access from crystal clean to heavy distortion tones. You get all kinds of classic sounds to adjust and enhance thanks to the simple control layout.

You can hook up the Crush Mini to almost any speaker cabinet and get ready for excellent big sounds due to the 8 Ohms speaker output.

The Crush Mini brings you a complete set of useful features like a 1/8″ aux input to jam along with your phone, a headphone output that mutes the speaker for silent practice, and a built-in tuner to keep tuned everywhere.

You can power the Crush Mini with an included 9V battery or an external 9V DC adaptor, and the amp switches on automatically when you plug in your guitar.

You’ll love this:

  • The Orange Crush Mini is an amazing portable solution when you’re jamming at home or warming up backstage. You get Simple Gain, Shape, and Volume controls to achieve fabulous Orange tones.
  • The Crush Mini is an awesome practice tool that brings you 3 watts of power, an onboard tuner, headphone output, 1/8″ music input, and 8-ohm speaker output.
  • The simple set of controls make the Crush Mini an easy-to-use tool to generate iconic Orange sounds.
  • You only need your phone, guitar, and a 9-volt battery to jam anywhere from your bedroom to the stage.

You might not like this:

  • The Orange Crush Minis battery door can be a little fragile.

Conclusion

The Orange Crush Mini is an amazing portable tool for practice wherever you go. You get an original Orange amp at a low cost that brings you the iconic orange vinyl and woven grille.

You can play your favorite tracks thanks to the Aux-In, the simple control set will let you get classic Orange tones in seconds, and the onboard tuner is great to stay tuned anywhere you go.


#6. Yamaha THR5A Review

Yamaha THR5A

The Yamaha THR5 is a battery-powered mini amp that can take your music anywhere, and it is perfect for practicing, songwriting, and recording. It comes loaded with essential amp tones and onboard effects. You also get USB connectivity for recording, playback, and preset editing.

Yamaha THR5 is a powerful modeling combo amp that brings you everything you need. You can go anywhere with this amazing battery-powered portable amp. You get 4 modulation effects, 4 independent reverb/delay effects, and 5 exceptional guitar amp emulation settings to access popular tube amps style.


#7. Roland Micro Cube GX Review

Roland Micro Cube GX

The Roland Micro Cube GX is the perfect choice for you when you want a tinny amp that brings a ton of features. This 3-watt battery-powered mini amp delivers 8 DSP Effects, Chromatic Tuner, 8 COSM Amplifier Models, and you get the amazing iOS i-Cube Link.

The Micro Cube GX comes with 3-watt of power and a 5-inch low magnetic leakage speaker. You can play for up to 20 hours using just six AA alkaline batteries. You also get onboard effects, eight amazing guitar amp models, and a strong carrying strap.


#8. Roland Cube Street EX Review

Roland CUBE Street EX

The Roland Cube Street EX is a battery-powered combo amp ideal for those who need portability, lightweight, and great sound. It is a perfect choice if you want a great-sounding modeling amp that is also a little PA.

The Cube delivers a slanted cabinet design, 50 outstanding watts of power, and two high-performance 6.5″ Neodymium speakers. You can get up to 15 hours of use with just 6 AA batteries, or you can choose the included AC adapter.

You get an innovative interface for connecting with your iOS devices thanks to Roland’s i-CUBE LINK. It gives you quick connectivity with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.


#9. Fender Mini ’57 Twin-Amp Review

Fender Mini '57 Twin Amp

The Fender Mini ’57 Twin pumps one mighty watt through twin 2-inch speakers right down to the tweed covering. It is a super-cool small amp that looks like a modeling amp.

The Fender Mini is perfect for those that want the classic looks and tone of a vintage Fender Twin Amp but don’t have enough budget to afford it.

You get a handy and portable practice amp with a simple control layout that includes Volume, Tone, and Drive controls. You can also use it as a line out to a power amp or recording gear.


#10. Vox amPlug 2 AC30 Headphone Guitar Amp Review

Vox amPlug 2 AC30 Headphone Guitar Amp

The Vox amPlug 2 AC30 is a battery-powered headphone guitar amp designed to get the best of your practice sessions. This tinny guitar amplifier will help you capture the AC30 top boost sound occupying virtually no space.

This mini wonder features an advanced analog circuit and provides you with an exceptionally clear and present tone that will get the best sound when practicing or jamming.

You get 3 amp modes, 9 selectable effects, tremolo circuit, speaker cabinet emulation, and an Aux-In jack. You also get a tremolo circuit, as well as onboard chorus, delay, and reverb.


#11. Marshall MS-4 Review

Marshall MS-4

The Marshall MS-4 is a battery-powered 1-watt micro stack ideal for guitar players that want to carry the Marshall tone with them anywhere. Don’t trust the appearance. Just 1 watt can be loud enough to jam with friends or practicing at home.

The MS-4 delivers original Marshall styling in a micro-sized full-stack amp to carry your tone with you. You get volume, gain, and tone controls, clean or overdrive settings, and it can be powered via batteries or AC.


#12. Roland AC-33 Review

Roland AC-33

The Roland AC-33 is the ideal portable acoustic companion. This Rosewood finish 30-watt battery-powered beauty is ideal for get exceptional amplified acoustic sound everywhere. The AC-33 is a stereo acoustic guitar amp that can be powered with batteries or AC.

You can plug in a mic and your guitar, turning this amp into a true mini PA thanks to the dual-channel configuration. You can also plug in any music player via the auxiliary input.

It includes 2 x 15 watts twin 5″ speakers, a Built-in Phrase Looper with 40 seconds of recording time, stereo auxiliary input for music players, and a set of effects that include reverb, chorus, and ambiance effects.


#13. Yamaha THR30II Review

Yamaha THR30II

The Yamaha THR30 II makes wireless playing really easy and simple. This portable and compact 30-watt battery-powered stereo amplifier come loaded with innovative amp tones and onboard effects.

This great-sounding portable amp has up to 15 excellent tube amp emulation settings, 3 bass amplifier emulations, 3 mic models, and a set of amazing modulation effects including echoes, and reverb.

The THR30 II brings Bluetooth support for playback, preset editing and generates realistic tube tones that you can experience no matter where you are.


#14. Danelectro Honeytone N-10 Review

Danelectro Honeytone N-10

If you love vintage guitar tones and you want to take them anywhere, the Danelectro Honeytone N-10 mini guitar amp is the ideal choice for you.

You can obtain every kind of tone from light grit to searing-hot blues with the minimalist set of control, including Off/Volume, Tone, and O.Drive knobs.

The Honeytone is a portable battery-powered mini amp that brings you 1.5 watts of power, a 2.5” speaker, an integrated clip for your belt, and a leather handle.


#15. Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge Review

Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge

The Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge is the perfect companion when you need a portable and powerful acoustic amp. This 60-watt battery-powered beast will satisfy all kinds of tastes thanks to its great versatility.

You get a light amp for easy portability, 60 watts (that are enough to fill a small stage easily), and Fishman’s popular preamp and tone control designs. You also obtain up to 4 hours of battery life at full volume.


What To Consider When Buying A Battery Powered Guitar Amp

There are some important aspects you need to consider when looking for a portable amp. These are battery life, speaker size, portability, amp modeling, and effects. Below you can discover what you need to know about all these points.

What Do You Need to Know About Batteries?

When you compare different amps, you need to consider that amps with many effects and bigger power ratings will have shorter battery life because battery life will decrease as features and power rating increase.

We can say the louder the amp, the less the battery lifetime. Although this aspect also depends on the type and number of batteries used. Keep in mind that when you need more or larger batteries for your amp, it will be heavier, making it less convenient to carry with.

What Do You Need to Know About Speaker Size?

A larger speaker size will commonly give you a better frequency response, so 12-inch″ speakers usually produce the highest quality tones. The range of frequencies the speaker can produce decreases as speaker size becomes smaller.

Smaller speakers are not good at producing a wide range of frequencies. So a small practice amp can sound weak compared to bigger amps. And this is the reason why most bass guitar amps usually use 12″ or 15″ speakers because the larger size of the speaker benefits the lower frequencies.

You also need to consider that larger speaker sizes will make amps heavier. That is why the most battery-powered amps have a small speaker, and many of them can produce a depth of tone that’s amazingly impressive for the relatively diminutive size.

What Do You Need to Know About Portability?

One key point about battery-powered amps is portability. You need a lightweight and comfortable amp that you can carry everywhere you want.

Of course, battery-powered amplifiers are usually smaller than those of the rest of the combos and stacks on the market. Still, you need to know that batteries add considerable weight to portable guitar amps.

You have to think about how portable you want your gear to be to choose your amp. So carrying a 50 watts and a 12-inch speaker combo for street performance or to jam with friends may have no sense when you can choose a lighter amplifier instead.

Amp modeling and Effects

Although most modeling amps aren’t battery-powered amps nowadays, many portable amps bring built-in amp modeling and effects.

These mini amps have certain restrictions, and you can usually only choose very few modulation effects, such as Flanger-Phaser-Tremolo or Reverb-Delay.

This kind of limitation helps to reduce power consumption in comparison with the bigger modeling combo amps.

Most Asked Questions When Buying A Portable Amp

How Many Watts Do You Need in a Guitar Amp?

The power range you need in a guitar amp depends mostly on the use you give to your amp. When you’re looking for a portable amp for practicing or jamming with friends, a power between 1 and 10 watts and a speaker of 2 to 10 inches will be enough.

If you play in a band, you will need an amp with enough power to compete with other instruments and the drums. In this case, you will need a powerful rig to play on stage.

But when you only need a good amp for practicing at home, a portable mini amp will be your best choice because it sounds good at low-volume levels and does not take up a lot of space.

Do Guitar Amps Use a Lot of Electricity?

Guitar amps do not use a lot of electricity. Compared to other electrical machines such as computers or air conditioning machines, guitar amps will have an insignificant impact on your electricity bills.

There is much confusion over how much power is drawn by your amp compared to the amount of power it can produce.

You need to know that when we say this is a 30-watt amp, we are referring to the power being produced by the amp and the power being feed into your speakers.

The power drawn at low volume can be lower than the wattage of your amp. For instance, your power drawn can be lower than the 30 watts for a 30-watt amp.

Which Amplifier Is Best for Electric Guitar?

The best amplifier for electric guitar is the one that suits best your needs and taste. There are four categories of guitar amps: tube amps, solid-state amps, hybrid amps, and modeling amps. You need first to decide which of them is the better choice for you.

Each one of these uses a different type of technology to deliver your guitar’s sound. These four types come with different power and speaker configurations.

When you want a portable amp to practice at home or jamming with friends, you just need a lightweight amp with minimal features and power between 1 and 20 watts.


Top Picks

Welcome to my top picks, where you will find which amp is the best overall, the best value for money, and the best budget options, so you can choose the right one for you.

#1 – Boss Katana Mini – Best Overall Battery-Powered Guitar Amp

Boss Katana Mini
Overall Rating: 5/5
★★★★★

Boss Katana Mini

The Boss Katana-Mini is a 7-watt mini amp that delivers 3 Amp voicings, 3-band EQ, and delay effect. It is the perfect choice for those that want a portable amp that generates astonish tones in a compact package.

#2 – Blackstar Fly 3 – Best Value for Money Battery-Powered Guitar Amp

Blackstar Fly 3
Overall Rating: 4.9/5
★★★★★

Two Notes Le Lead Dual 2-Channel Tube


The Blackstar Fly 3 is a 3-watt battery-powered amp with a clean and an overdrive channel, and a 3-inch speaker. It is ​the ideal companion for you if you want a compact and portable guitar amp that generates a powerful tone even at the lowest volumes.

#3 – Marshall MS-2‎ – Best Budget Battery-Powered Guitar Amp

Marshall MS-2 Micro Amp
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
★★★★★

Marshall MS-2

The Marshall MS-2 has a surprisingly powerful volume despite being a 1-watt amp. It also brings a belt clip, tone control, clean and overdrive settings. It is the ideal micro amp for carrying in your guitar case.


Conclusion

We are at the end of my review of the most reliable battery-powered amps. I did these reviews to know more about these little portable wonders that can be useful and fun.

Now that you know the important points of these amazing portable amps and get to know the 15 models that are causing a real sensation in the mini amp world.

I hope you can pick the right one for you with the feature set that suits your needs better.


Why You Can Rely on All Stringed's Recommendations

At All Stringed, we are passionate about providing our customers with accurate and trustworthy recommendations for the best stringed instruments and accessories. Our team of experts has extensive knowledge and experience in the music industry, and we carefully research and test each product before making a recommendation.

We take pride in our transparency and always disclose any potential biases or conflicts of interest. We also value feedback from our customers and take it into account when writing our reviews. You can trust us to provide you with honest and unbiased recommendations for the perfect stringed instrument or accessory to suit your needs.

Whether you are a beginner or a professional musician, All Stringed has the expertise to help you make an informed decision when purchasing your next instrument or accessory. Choose All Stringed for reliable and knowledgeable recommendations you can trust.


Photo of author
Author
Damián is an author of All Stringed. He started playing with an electric guitar when he was 14 as a self-taught boy at home. He has almost 30 years of experience playing electric and acoustic guitar. You can find more about him here.